Was Uns Bewegt – Röchling Stiftung

POLYPROBLEM-Report The Circularity Code
POLYPROBLEM-Report The Circularity Code

POLYPROBLEM-Report The Circularity Code

New POLYPROBLEM report by the Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense The Circularity Code How digitalization helps with the plastic transition… and how it does not The technology is available. However, there is still work to be done on the required willingness to cooperate in order to use it systematically to conserve resources when dealing with plastics. This is the key finding of the new POLYPROBLEM report by the non-profit Röchling Foundation and the consultancy WIDER SENSE. Featuring numerous interviews with experts, the study entitled "The Circularity Code" gets to the heart of the question of how much digital innovations contribute to the fight against plastic waste. It was important to the authors to shed light on all relevant sectors and all parts of the value chain: from digital support in design, the overall ecological assessment of packaging and the digital product passport to new, digital possibilities in waste management and recycling. "The complexity of plastic products means that they go through many stages from production to use and finally to recycling. Each production step generates data that is important for sustainable optimization. If there is no willingness to share this data across the entire value chain, even the best digital [...]

POLYPROBLEM-REPORT: Straws on Trial
POLYPROBLEM-REPORT: Straws on Trial

POLYPROBLEM-REPORT: Straws on Trial

POLYPROBLEM Report of the Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense Straws on Trial Bans on single-use plastic items such as plastic bags and straws lead both to a noticeable reduction in littering of streets and beaches and to more intensive public discussion about sustainable consumption. The total amount of plastic waste, on the other hand, cannot be significantly reduced with so-called "plastic bans." This is the conclusion reached by the POLYPROBLEM report published by the non-profit Röchling Foundation and the consultancy Wider Sense in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Energy, Environment. Titled "Straws on Trial," the team of authors took a close look at the effect of government bans on single-use plastic products. "Whether bans on certain products and their use are appropriate for addressing global ecological crises is a controversial question of principle. We wanted to know whether the effects go beyond a symbolic impact," says Uwe Amrhein, foundation manager at the Röchling Foundation, outlining the objective. To this end, the team of authors conducted research on three continents - in Kenya, California, and Germany - and developed case studies from discussions with experts. Bans on certain single-use plastic articles have been in place for many years in most [...]

POLYPROBLEM-Report – Treasure Hunt
POLYPROBLEM-Report – Treasure Hunt

POLYPROBLEM-Report – Treasure Hunt

The new POLYPROBLEM Report of the Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense TREASURE HUNT Faults and Flaws of the Recycling Market … AND A GLIMPSE INTO A POSSIBLE FUTURE The market for recycled plastics is broken - this is the central finding of the latest POLYPROBLEM topic report. “Treasure Hunt” is the second POLYRPOBLEM topic report of this year. This time, the report was conducted in cooperation with cirplus. Its goal is to not only summarize the situation regarding the recycling of plastics, but also to analyze the reasons that currently cause the plastics cycle to fail and to provide possible solutions for politics and industry. Annually, nearly 400 million tons of plastic are currently produced worldwide. However, less than ten percent consist of recycled material. Hence, it is still a long way to a properly functioning recycling industry. At first glance, the situation appears paradox: recycling companies complain about a lack of sales opportunities. At the same time, product manufacturers and plastics processors complain about a shortage of recyclates sufficient in quantity and quality. Supply and demand do not meet. In discussion with leading experts from business and science, this POLYPROBLEM topic report gets to the bottom of the [...]

POLYPROBLEM-Report – The Waste of Others
POLYPROBLEM-Report – The Waste of Others

POLYPROBLEM-Report – The Waste of Others

The POLYPROBLEM Report of the Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense The Waste of Others About the responsibility for the flood of plastic in Asia More than half of the plastic waste in the oceans is released into the environment from five Asian countries. And this despite the fact that the emerging and developing countries use much less plastic per capita of their population than the industrialized nations. The reason for the massive emissions is the predominantly inadequate waste management systems in the Global South. The new POLYPROBLEM Report by the Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense takes a close look at the omissions and opportunities. International comparative figures show it clearly: With increasing prosperity, the consumption of plastics is rising. However, waste management in developing regions is not growing at the same pace. If this development continues and the gap widens, the world will only be at the beginning of the plastic problem – regardless of the enormous public attention to the subject. In their new POLYPROBLEM Report “THE WASTE OF OTHERS”, the non-profit Röchling Foundation and the consulting firm Wider Sense have comprehensively examined why it has not yet been possible to establish a nationwide waste management system [...]